Ling Tai
Ling Tai is a Chinese actress, remembered for being a presenter on the final year of children's programme Crackerjack! as well as playing Lily in the first series of children's comedy Spatz.
Early life
Her name meaning Beautiful Goddess, she was found abandoned as a baby on the streets of Hong Kong. Rescued by a policeman, the infant was taken to an orphanage. Aged 18 months, the toddler was brought to Britain as one of nine baby orphan girls for adoption, being taken in by a couple from Eastcote: Leslie Emmerson and his wife Edna. Growing up in Ruislip, the girl went by her adopted name Keri/Kerry Emmerson. Aged 18, Ling planned to return home to China with her adoptive parents but decided to enter the world of acting, reverting back to her original name.Career
Acting work includes appearances in The Two Ronnies, Bergerac, Dramarama, Never the Twain, The Little and Large Show, Alas Smith and Jones, Coronation Street and Soldier Soldier. Doctor Who fans recall Ling for her part as Shou Yuing in the 1989 story Battlefield.Keeping her adoptive name Kerry for retail business, she also worked as a shop assistant in the Tops and Bottoms clothing shops in Pinner and Eastcote for a few years in between acting engagements.
On stage, the actress has appeared as the Princess in two pantomime productions of Aladdin: firstly in 1984 at the Darlington Civic Theatre and then in 1985 at the Theatre Royal, Brighton. Other work includes South Pacific at Connaught Theatre, Worthing in 1983 and in Alex Finlayson's Winding the Bell at the Royal Exchange, Manchester in 1989, as well as various Crackerjack productions.
Her last known acting role was in the 2006 film The Missing Star.